We tried these new Dehlingers last week:
1. Dehlinger Chard Estate RRV (14.2%; EB) 2019: Med.light gold color; lovely ripe/melony/Chard/green apple/bit lemony/buttery some toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak bit complex quite attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy rather strong/melony/Chard/ripe/lemony/green apple light pencilly/toasty/Fr.oak some spicy bit complex flavor; very long/lingering quite tart strong lemony/melony/Chard some toasty/pencilly/oak ripe bit complex finish; quite an attractive Chard but a bit on pricey side. $45.00 (vBS)
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2. Dehlinger PinotNoir Goldridge/RRV (14.5%) Sebastopol 2019: Med.color; very strong cherry/black cherry/PN/some spicy/cinammon fairly toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak/bit smokey some complex very attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy strong PN/black cherry/cherry/rather spicy fairly toasty/smokey/Fr.oak light earthy/dusty/OV bit complex flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long/lingering fairly cherry/black cherry/PN/spicy strong pencilly/toasty/Dehlinger oak rather tart finish w/ light smooth tannins; a very attractive classic RRV Pinot; bit pricey at $55.00 (vBS)
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3. Dehlinger Syrah Goldridge/RRV (14.5%; EB) 2018: Very dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy some peppery/cold-climate fairly toasty/Fr.oak fairly complex nose; lightly tart fairly rich/lush strong blackberry/blueberry/quite spicy some toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak bit complex flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long rather toasty/pencilly/oak strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/spicy finish w/ light ripe tannins; a rather attractive RRV Syrah but just that; pricey at $50.00 (vBS)
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4. Dehlinger Syrah FreiRoad/RRV (15.4%) 2014: Very dark color; not as intense blackberry/Syrah/spicy bit more subtle more peppery/c-c/black pepper some roasted/Rhonish rather complex nose; lightly tart some Rhonish/roasted some blackberry/Syrah/spicy bit quieter fairly toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy rather toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak slight Rhonish/roasted bit complex finish w/ light tannins; a quite attractive fully mature rather Rhonish Syrah; a bit quieter Syrah but much more interesting. $55.00 (vBS)
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5. Dehlinger CabernetSauvignon (14.6%; EB) 2018: Very dark/near black color; strong blackcurranty/Cab/cold-climate some herbal/green olive some toasty/smokey/Fr.oak bit complex nose; fairly tart rather ripe/blackcurranty/Cab/green olive/bit herbal rather toasty/smokey/oak rather structured bit earthy flavor w/ modest grippy tannins; very long strong blackcurranty/ripe/Cab/bit herbal/green olive structured fairly toasty/Fr.oak finish w/ modest tannins; a rather straightforward fairly structured Cab that needs more age; reminds some of the B.R.Cohn Cabs; a bit pricey at $65.00 (vBS)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. It's been a number of yrs since I've had some Dehlinger wines. Blair got on their mailing list early on, had sizeable allocations, and would often share them with our group. Since he died some 5 yrs ago or so, his daughter Stacey has continued to by them in small amounts. Now that she lives in LosAlamos, she wanted to revive Blair's tradition of sharing his allocation w/ the group. These are the wines we bought.
I liked all of these wines quite a lot. The Cab my least favorite and the FreiRd Syrah easily my favorite. That said, I recall the wines when we ordered thru Blair to be having more in the excitement factor. Like Ridge, the wines are distinctly Dehlinger in style. Maybe my recollect of the Dehlingers of 10 yrs ago is a bit faulty. Maybe I've become a bit more jaded. The wines were all very good but just lacked the excitement I recall from the past.
Tom